Kaden Marshall wasn't really that excited for his first day of college. He was more nervous and stressed than anything, and he couldn't help but be almost afraid of the idea of having a roommate.
Well, it wasn't really like he had a choice in the matter. All freshman had to have roommates. Some of the upperclassmen could request singles, but that was about it. Even though he was in the honors college, that didn't really change things much.
"Mom, Dad, I'm fine. I can take care of this myself," Kaden complained. Today was his first day at Redwood University, and so far, he wasn't exactly a fan. Of course it had been more fun visiting and getting free food and going on the college tour and getting a gauge at what kinds of people went here, but now that he was actually here, it was kind of a different story.
"Sweetie, we're your parents. Of course we're going to help you. And we also can't wait to meet your roommate. Hawk something, right?" Kaden rolled his eyes in irritation.
He'd been hearing nothing but his parent's overenthusiastic speculation about this Hawk Downing kid he was going to be rooming with. God, if only he'd chosen to go to one of those schools that waited until the absolute last minute to tell you about your roommate. Then, he wouldn't have had to endure this torture.
And what kind of name was Hawk Downing, anyway? It sure seemed like something out of some sort of fantasy novel or something. Definitely not like a real name.
"Stop it. And I'll be the one to tell you guys about Hawk. And if he's a pain in the ass, you'll probably hear all about him," Kade grumbled, as he and his parents got his things out of the car on the long trek up to his dorm room.
"Try to be a little more optimistic, sweetheart. He might not be that bad," his mom continued. Kaden sighed.
"Well it definitely sounds like this kid has--a less common name," was all his dad said. Earlier he had theorized and even joked about ridiculous backstories this kid could have, all the while Kaden pretended to be listening. Mostly it was the jibe about the fantasy name thing. His dad had even thought that maybe his parents were birders or whatever.
"Dad, lay off with the name jokes," Kaden snapped, exasperated.
At last he was at his dorm. He had the key he'd picked up from the information center, and to his knowledge, Hawk had already checked in before him. Fun. So there was pretty much no avoiding his parents meeting this guy. What luck he had.
Kaden stuck his key in the lock and turned it. The door was wood and the key was gold; there was nothing all that special about it. If anything, it looked a little, well, old. It was definitely nothing compared to Kaden's California mansion, from which he would find the transition to dorm life hard to manage.
Warily Kaden made his way into the room, trying to avoid looking directly at the person he saw sitting on the bed on the right hand side of the room. There was a desk for each of them as well as two sets of drawers and a walk in closet.
He assumed the guy sitting on the bed must be Hawk. He looked some kind of Asian--maybe East Asian? From the name, he'd assumed white, but in America, names were a pretty garbage way to tell someone's ethnicity. He had dark hair, and the most striking green eyes.
Maybe he was biracial? Asians didn't usually have green eyes, to his knowledge. He had a nice natural tan, and he looked--from what Kaden could tell--tall and fit, and, well, hot.
Suddenly he seemed nervous, and regretted looking Hawk in the eyes at all.
"You're staring," Hawk snarked. He smirked, flashing his pearly whites. Damn it all. This guy even had perfect teeth.
"I wasn't. I was just surprised to see someone already in here," Kaden said, nervously hoping his parents wouldn't say or do anything weird to embarrass him.
"If it isn't my son's roommate, the legendary Hawk Downing," his dad cut in, as both of his parents filed into the room after him. His dad was a fantasy novel fan, so of course he'd say something stupid like that.
It was the sole reason he'd basically been obsessing over the name jokes, and Kaden wanted to strangle him for it. If this was what was going to get his roommate to think he was weird, he was going to go on a violent rampage. Kaden wished his dad would have at least let him mess up on his own before taking the lead himself.
Hawk's expression shifted to a more innocent look.
'So he's a suck up,' Kaden thought. 'Great.'
"Mr. and Mrs. Marshall, I presume," Hawk said sweetly. Oh, damn it all already. He was already done for. Now this school year would be hell.
"Yes, that's us," Kaden's mother replied. And then after a pause, she added: "Please excuse my husband. He's a little--eccentric."
"I could say that I am, but I don't want to scare off Kaden just yet." Hawk laughed dryly, as though he'd said something funny.
"Is there something I need to know?" It was Kaden's turn to speak now, and he felt himself blushing. Why was he blushing, of all things? He shouldn't be feeling all flustered and embarrassed around a guy who had already called himself eccentric.
And yet he couldn't deny it. He was flustered and blushing like a school girl with a crush.
"Oh, no. It's just that--spoiler alert--I'm kind of a fantasy geek. It comes from my weird family," Hawk told him, smirking that devilish smirk again.
After that, he finally was able to banish his parents from the room, after they'd insisted on helping him make his bed.
Then, he finally got some peace and quiet.
"So," he began, once he was sure his parents had left. He sat down on the edge of his freshly made bed and sighed deeply. "What did you mean about your weird family?"
Hawk looked up from his laptop, which he'd been on for the entire time since Kaden and his parents had barged in.
"That, my friend, is a mystery you'll find out soon enough."
Comments (1)
See all